Tag: Jackson’s MMA

(Sorry Melvin, you know the rules — every time you screw up, we post this picture of you. / Photo via CombatLifestyle)

As we mentioned yesterday, Melvin Guillard‘s announcement that he was leaving the Blackzilians for his old home at Jackson’s MMA was quickly shut down by the Albuquerque-based team, who apparently doesn’t want him back. According to MMAJunkie, it wasn’t only due to Guillard’s lack of loyalty in changing camps — a pair of 2010 assault charges could have also been a factor. Here’s the story:

Two months before UFC lightweight Melvin Guillard announced via Twitter that he was returning to Team Jackson-Winkeljohn in Albuquerque, N.M., the gym’s leaders voted to keep him from doing so. Guillard had inquired about a potential reunion through former teammates, who then passed word to the gym’s administration. The vote was unanimous.

“The Young Assassin” had angered the team in interviews he gave about a move this past year to Florida’s “Blackzilians” team, a source close to the MMA team told MMAjunkie.com. Adding to concerns, Guillard has two outstanding assault charges against him from separate incidents in Albuquerque in 2010…

According to Bernalillo County (N.M.) court records, Guillard currently faces five charges: two misdemeanor counts of aggravated battery, to which he pled not guilty. Three misdemeanor counts of failure to appear in court were settled. A jury trial on the assault charges is set for April 10, where he faces six months in jail for each count, in addition to fines and probation.

Coaches and fighters from Jackson’s MMA say they were stunned last week to find out that an up-and-coming amateur fighter who had been training at the gym in Albuquerque since last summer was a wanted man who was on the run from kidnapping and domestic abuse charges in Colorado.

According to the complaint filed last July, Tyron Wright allegedly kidnapped an ex-girlfriend who he handcuffed and tortured. Besides assaulting her, Wright is also accused of heating up a knife on his stove and burning the victim with it.

If you didn’t know any better, you would assume by looking at the odds for Saturday night’s UFC 143 main event interim welterweight title fight between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit that betting on Diaz would earn you some easy money.

Fortunately this isn’t pro-wrestling and bout outcomes aren’t pre-determined, because Condit hasn’t followed the scripts written for him by the bookies for most of his fights and he doesn’t plan on starting at this point of his career.

“I’m probably the underdog as far as the betting lines go, but that’s where I’ve been my whole career,” he explains with a shrug. “I’m excited for this fight. I know I have all of the tools to come out on top. I’m motivated and am in shape. I’ve been training since July for this fight. I had some cancellations and some change-ups, but I stayed focus on making sure I’m ready.”